I don't particularly want to get involved in whining about this. The Ravens had a good season, and had plenty of chances in that game where they could have made plays. That said, Evans just had to hold on to the ball and nothing else would have mattered. Just like Greg Jennings.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d824bc335/Jennin g s-20-yard-TD-catch

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d826396cc/Evans- d ropped-pass-costs-Ravens

uncoveror: Lee Evans closed his eyes in the replay I saw. He flinched because he knew he was about to be hit. With open eyes, he could have pulled that ball away from a defender trying to strip the ball. Blame him, not Cundiff.

Cris Carter was talking on Mike & Mike this morning about that play. He said Evans should have gone to the ground while making the catch instead of trying to run away from the defender. He was blaming Evans more than the missed kick.

You could put up only 20 points on one of the worst defenses in the league. The Ravens offense has consistently sucked for the last decade. That's why they can't beat the really good teams in the playoffs; you can't win if you can't put up points. Defense wins championships, sure, but you need something better than the 15th ranked offense in the league, especially when your numbers are inflated considering you're matched up against the softest two divisions in the league (AFC South and NFC West). Don't blame the kicker, blame the front office for a defense-first mindset.

you have pee hands: Cris Carter was talking on Mike & Mike this morning about that play. He said Evans should have gone to the ground while making the catch instead of trying to run away from the defender. He was blaming Evans more than the missed kick.

I'm not sure why anyone even cares what some losers on a random internet forum think.

Lee Evans HIMSELF blames Lee Evans. That's pretty much all you need.

degenerate-afro: tortilla burger: Normally I'm pretty harsh on Flacco because of his inconsistency. But I'm not pinning this one on him. He did well enough to not be a liability to his team.

If by "not be a liability" you mean, "carried the offense" then I'd have to agree with you.

We'll put Flacco right up there with the Chad Henees, Matt Moores, Rex Grossmans, and Dan Orlovskys of the world, who also put up at least 2 Tds and 1 int against the 31st pass defense in the league this year.

Its been 4 years and we have plenty of data on Flacco. He's not Kyle Boller. He's not Joe Montana. He's Carson Palmer. He'll win you a playoff game, but you're not going to the superbowl with him.

Cubicle Jockey: When watching it in slow motion, he had the ball cradled for almost two full steps before the defender pushed it out of his hands. How long does he have to have control of the ball for it to count? A running back would just have to have the top of the ball cross the plane, and immediately losing it after that point wouldn't matter.

A reception in the end zone is different than running it in (or catching it outside and running it in). See "The Calvin Johnson rule". Anything short of keeping the ball in your hands through the security check at the airport for the flight home is "incomplete" (under current rules).

you have pee hands: uncoveror: Lee Evans closed his eyes in the replay I saw. He flinched because he knew he was about to be hit. With open eyes, he could have pulled that ball away from a defender trying to strip the ball. Blame him, not Cundiff.

Cris Carter was talking on Mike & Mike this morning about that play. He said Evans should have gone to the ground while making the catch instead of trying to run away from the defender. He was blaming Evans more than the missed kick.

And I hate to quote Phil Simms, but I think he pointed out that Evans "relaxed" instead of completing the play which would have sent the Ravens to the Bowl. You're a big boy, Lee. Make the catch. But also, you're a pro kicker, Billy, make the kick. Ravens had 2 chances to win/tie and blew them both.

Now Flacco can shave that god awful hair off his face. The derp is strong with him.

facisto: degenerate-afro: tortilla burger: Normally I'm pretty harsh on Flacco because of his inconsistency. But I'm not pinning this one on him. He did well enough to not be a liability to his team.

If by "not be a liability" you mean, "carried the offense" then I'd have to agree with you.

We'll put Flacco right up there with the Chad Henees, Matt Moores, Rex Grossmans, and Dan Orlovskys of the world, who also put up at least 2 Tds and 1 int against the 31st pass defense in the league this year.

Okay then, please explain who on the Ravens offense was carrying the team if not Flacco? it certainly wasn't Rice or Willaims. The offensive line couldn't stop Wilfork. The WR were also dropping balls (and I'm not talking about just Evans). How are these things Flacco's fault?

Why did Flacco not scramble for that first down on 2nd or 3rd (can't remember which, whatever play he ended up throwing it at a receiver's feet) and 1? IIRC there was only one D-lineman in front of him that could have possibly prevented him from getting a yard, and he was getting handled pretty well by one of the Ravens' O-line. He maybe even could have gotten to the end zone, but I'm not gonna go that far.

I dont care what game it is, what team it is. Guys, if you leave it up to the kicker, someone ELSE farked up before he did. You gotta put it to bed without playing soccer.

The kicker is like the last hope of a team that screwed up and doesnt want to admit it. then when he fails, pins it ALL on him to make themselves feel better.

poisonedpawn78: I dont care what game it is, what team it is. Guys, if you leave it up to the kicker, someone ELSE farked up before he did. You gotta put it to bed without playing soccer.

The kicker is like the last hope of a team that screwed up and doesnt want to admit it. then when he fails, pins it ALL on him to make themselves feel better.


And now we all know Scott Norwood's FARK handle.

Just kidding. I agree with you.

degenerate-afro: facisto: degenerate-afro: tortilla burger: Normally I'm pretty harsh on Flacco because of his inconsistency. But I'm not pinning this one on him. He did well enough to not be a liability to his team.

If by "not be a liability" you mean, "carried the offense" then I'd have to agree with you.

We'll put Flacco right up there with the Chad Henees, Matt Moores, Rex Grossmans, and Dan Orlovskys of the world, who also put up at least 2 Tds and 1 int against the 31st pass defense in the league this year.

Okay then, please explain who on the Ravens offense was carrying the team if not Flacco? it certainly wasn't Rice or Willaims. The offensive line couldn't stop Wilfork. The WR were also dropping balls (and I'm not talking about just Evans). How are these things Flacco's fault?

Who cares? They scored two touchdowns and two field goals, do we really have to argue over who gets the most credit for an offense that didn't score enough to win?

logggur: Why did Flacco not scramble for that first down on 2nd or 3rd (can't remember which, whatever play he ended up throwing it at a receiver's feet) and 1? IIRC there was only one D-lineman in front of him that could have possibly prevented him from getting a yard, and he was getting handled pretty well by one of the Ravens' O-line. He maybe even could have gotten to the end zone, but I'm not gonna go that far.

I'd say he chose correctly. QBs running with the ball can be dangerous not only for their health but ball security becomes suspect. Losing the ball after getting hit by a defensive lineman would jeopardize their chances of winning more than simply giving up the first down to kick an extremely manageable field goal.

asmodeus224: The butthurt in the first line of the article is priceless:

"For the second straight year, the best team in the American Football Conference will not be playing in the Super Bowl."

Cry some more.

I've noticed that a lot from some die-hard Baltimore fans. It's one thing to root for your team, its entirely another to refuse to admit they're not gods. Nothing is ever their fault.

Maybe that's true in any football city, but Baltimore has it the worst I've seen.

The kick would have tied it. All that gets you is overtime.

degenerate-afro: facisto: degenerate-afro: tortilla burger: Normally I'm pretty harsh on Flacco because of his inconsistency. But I'm not pinning this one on him. He did well enough to not be a liability to his team.

If by "not be a liability" you mean, "carried the offense" then I'd have to agree with you.

We'll put Flacco right up there with the Chad Henees, Matt Moores, Rex Grossmans, and Dan Orlovskys of the world, who also put up at least 2 Tds and 1 int against the 31st pass defense in the league this year.

Okay then, please explain who on the Ravens offense was carrying the team if not Flacco? it certainly wasn't Rice or Willaims. The offensive line couldn't stop Wilfork. The WR were also dropping balls (and I'm not talking about just Evans). How are these things Flacco's fault?

I didn't say that Flacco didn't carry them. I'm saying that he carried them to a loss. Because he's not that good. And then I put up reasonable comparisons with terrible quarterbacks who put up as good if not better numbers against the pats this year and still lost. Baltimore's defense held the Patriots to one of their lowest scoring outings of the season. Those other garbage quarterbacks that I mentioned? They put up enough to beat the pats if they had baltimore's defense, and they didn't have Anquan Boldin or Torry Smith to throw it to.

GoodyearPimp: Cubicle Jockey: When watching it in slow motion, he had the ball cradled for almost two full steps before the defender pushed it out of his hands. How long does he have to have control of the ball for it to count? A running back would just have to have the top of the ball cross the plane, and immediately losing it after that point wouldn't matter.

A reception in the end zone is different than running it in (or catching it outside and running it in). See "The Calvin Johnson rule". Anything short of keeping the ball in your hands through the security check at the airport for the flight home is "incomplete" (under current rules).

The Calvin Johnson non-catch had nothing to do with the end zone and everything to do with the fact he was falling to the ground. If you're falling to the ground while catching a pass, you must maintain control when you hit the ground. End zone, out of bounds or 50 yard line, it's the same. So don't confuse the CJ Rule with the end zone.

How long a receiver has to control the ball before it's a catch is highly subjective and no one seems to agree on it, so I won't even touch that. I did want to say that comparing a catch to a running back breaking the plane of the goal line is comparing two different things. When the RB has the ball, unless he's fumbling he already has possession. So, all he has to do is break the goal line with 1 nanometer of the ball and it's instantly a TD. The receiver catching the ball in the end zone, however, has not yet caught the ball and so doesn't have possession. The instant the officials think he has possession it's a TD, but getting possession is not an instantaneous thing. Otherwise, it would be a TD as soon as someone managed to touch the ball with two hands, even if he dropped it.

Harv72b: stevie1der: Who cares? They scored two touchdowns and two field goals, do we really have to argue over who gets the most credit for an offense that didn't score enough to win?

You've been watching football for what, 3-4 weeks now?

I've watched plenty of football, just find it humorous that here's a back and forth about how much credit Flacco should be given for an offense that in the end came up short. There were plenty of opportunities before that last drive to make one or two more plays to set up an easy field goal, but the offense stalled. That last kick by Cundiff SHOULD have been for the win. In the end it's a pointless exercise. They didn't get the job done, who cares who was most responsible for almost getting the job done.

I for one am happy to have a Harbaugh free Superbowl weekend

facisto: Its been 4 years and we have plenty of data on Flacco. He's not Kyle Boller. He's not Joe Montana. He's Carson Palmer. He'll win you a playoff game, but you're not going to the superbowl with him.

Carson Palmer has never won a playoff game. Flacco is better than Palmer. I see him as a lesser version of Donovan McNabb. Get him some receivers and keep the defense in tact and maybe the Ravens could be better than also-rans.

GoodyearPimp: A reception in the end zone is different than running it in (or catching it outside and running it in). See "The Calvin Johnson rule". Anything short of keeping the ball in your hands through the security check at the airport for the flight home is "incomplete" (under current rules).

The Calvin Johnson rule has nothing to do with this.

If Evan got his 2nd foot down before the strip it would have been a TD.

facisto: degenerate-afro: facisto: degenerate-afro: tortilla burger: Normally I'm pretty harsh on Flacco because of his inconsistency. But I'm not pinning this one on him. He did well enough to not be a liability to his team.

If by "not be a liability" you mean, "carried the offense" then I'd have to agree with you.

We'll put Flacco right up there with the Chad Henees, Matt Moores, Rex Grossmans, and Dan Orlovskys of the world, who also put up at least 2 Tds and 1 int against the 31st pass defense in the league this year.

Okay then, please explain who on the Ravens offense was carrying the team if not Flacco? it certainly wasn't Rice or Willaims. The offensive line couldn't stop Wilfork. The WR were also dropping balls (and I'm not talking about just Evans). How are these things Flacco's fault?

I didn't say that Flacco didn't carry them. I'm saying that he carried them to a loss. Because he's not that good. And then I put up reasonable comparisons with terrible quarterbacks who put up as good if not better numbers against the pats this year and still lost. Baltimore's defense held the Patriots to one of their lowest scoring outings of the season. Those other garbage quarterbacks that I mentioned? They put up enough to beat the pats if they had baltimore's defense, and they didn't have Anquan Boldin or Torry Smith to throw it to.

They didn't have Anquan Boldin and Torry Smith dropping passes either. Did you not watch the game?

asmodeus224: The butthurt in the first line of the article is priceless:

"For the second straight year, the best team in the American Football Conference will not be playing in the Super Bowl."

Cry some more.

That line is farking spectacular. I might have to actually RTFA to soak in the rage.

/wanted Ravens to win

Harv72b: stevie1der: They didn't get the job done, who cares who was most responsible for almost getting the job done.

Quite a few people, obviously. But you're right, be sure to come back and explain some more how you don't.

You're right. I turned into a That Guy (aka thread critic). My bad, sorry for that.

degenerate-afro: They didn't have Anquan Boldin and Torry Smith dropping passes either. Did you not watch the game?

Torry Smith made a heck of a play on that 29 yard TD catch and run. If he doesn't break that tackle, it's a loss and 4th down. You win some, you lose some.

mikaloyd:

Because like Smith on the Niners and Sanchez on the Jets he is only almost good enough to go all the way. Embrace this fact and games like yesterday will be easier.

Yeah, I'm not a Ravens fan. Nice try, though.

tortilla burger:

I'd say he chose correctly. QBs running with the ball can be dangerous not only for their health but ball security becomes suspect. Losing the ball after getting hit by a defensive lineman would jeopardize their chances of winning more than simply giving up the first down to kick an extremely manageable field goal.

That's true. It just seemed like he had a ton of room to get up there and then slide. I could be misremembering precisely how much room we're talkin', though. Also at what point does the chance to go to the superbowl outweigh the chance of fumbling? Smith wasn't too shy about running and it definitely helped the 9ers get past the Saints.

Cubicle Jockey: Wouldn't a strip indicate he had possession, and was therefore in control of the ball at one point while he was in the endzone?

When watching it in slow motion, he had the ball cradled for almost two full steps before the defender pushed it out of his hands. How long does he have to have control of the ball for it to count? A running back would just have to have the top of the ball cross the plane, and immediately losing it after that point wouldn't matter.

As a New Englander, I am happy for the win, but I was surprised that the pass wasn't ruled as a touchdown.

As a receiver, according to the rules this year, once contact is made by the defender, you have to maintain control of the ball all the way through the "catch", however that is defined. That usually means the receiver has to go to the ground with the ball in complete control. ESPN is talking about how that was a controversial call, but it was clear by that rule that it was an incomplete. it was nowhere near as bad as Calvin Johnson's non-TD in week 1 (iirc).

Harv72b: stevie1der: Torry Smith made a heck of a play on that 29 yard TD catch and run. If he doesn't break that tackle, it's a loss and 4th down. You win some, you lose some.

Torrey is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Ravens, and it is so nice as a Ravens fan to finally have a legitimate deep threat on the team. From his twitter last night:

This offseason I'm gonna grind so hard...I'm gonna give the NFL hell...watch the improvement

Great attitude from a guy who already overproduced in his rookie season (remember he went in the late 2nd round).

I believe him. If he gets hands like Fitz or Johnson, the NFL will have to watch out. That's what he's going to work on during the off season.

Harv72b: stevie1der: Torry Smith made a heck of a play on that 29 yard TD catch and run. If he doesn't break that tackle, it's a loss and 4th down. You win some, you lose some.

Torrey is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Ravens, and it is so nice as a Ravens fan to finally have a legitimate deep threat on the team. From his twitter last night:

This offseason I'm gonna grind so hard...I'm gonna give the NFL hell...watch the improvement

Great attitude from a guy who already overproduced in his rookie season (remember he went in the late 2nd round).

I hope he trains with DeSean Jackson and not Victor Cruz. Smith has a lot of potential and for my own selfish reasons I hope he never achieves it.

Richard Sauce: On the play before the missed FG, Flacco was rolling right. He tried to force one into Pitta for the score, but had he checked down to a wide open Ray Rice they could have gotten the first down, called time out, taken a shot at the endzone, and then kicked the FG if that shot fell incomplete. I know hindsight is 20/20, but he was trying to force one to Pitta instead of taking what the defense was giving. As a Giants fan I was even a little annoyed at Eli for trying to force balls into Cruz in the 4th quarter rather than hitting other guys who were more open or in single coverage. Sometimes QB's get tunnel vision for their favorite target and it can cost them.

Or it sure looked like he could have just run for the yard they needed and again called the time out. 3 shots at the endzone seem like pretty decent odds.

degenerate-afro: They didn't have Anquan Boldin and Torry Smith dropping passes either. Did you not watch the game?

No, they hand Brandon Marshall and Santana Moss drop their passes, and they still put up more points.

Harv72b: facisto: And then I put up reasonable comparisons with terrible quarterbacks who put up as good if not better numbers against the pats this year and still lost. Baltimore's defense held the Patriots to one of their lowest scoring outings of the season. Those other garbage quarterbacks that I mentioned? They put up enough to beat the pats if they had baltimore's defense, and they didn't have Anquan Boldin or Torry Smith to throw it to.

Eli Manning vs. NE: 20/39, 250, 2TD, 1INT, 78.0 QB rating
Phillip Rivers: 29/40, 387, 2TD, 2INT, 98.6 QB rating
Tony Romo: 27/41, 317, 1, 1, 87.1
Ben Roethlisberger: 36/50, 365, 2, 1, 97.5
Joe Flacco: 22/36, 306, 2, 1, 95.4

What was your point again?

That if the terrible quarterbacks I mentioned had baltimore's defense they would have beaten the pats. That Flacco is in actuality, mediocre at best. What was your point? Because it looks like you're saying that better quarterbacks with comparable defenses were able to beat the pats, and overrated quarterbacks with worse defenses also failed to beat the pats. Glad we're in agreement.

AdmirableSnackbar: Carson Palmer has never won a playoff game. Flacco is better than Palmer. I see him as a lesser version of Donovan McNabb.

That is a more apt comparison.

oldernell: I wonder how many death threats the kicker has received.

I'd be a little surprised if he turned up floating in Baltimore Harbor with a hole or two in his head. But only a little.